Our Komatsu model PW170-5K was the bigger of our two road-rail excavators and came to us in early 2015. It spent the first part of its life under the ownership of FL Gamble & Sons Ltd. of Worthing. Later, Railway Plant Services (RPS) purchased it. RPS are a contractor firm for Translink NI Railways. The Komatsu was been involved in many projects along their network including sea defence work at Whitehead and embankment strengthening along the Bangor line.
After coming to us, we quickly put the Komatsu to work during the South Line and Downpatrick Station relay projects. It weighs 19.5 tonnes and performed regularly moving ballast, sleepers, and signalling equipment around the railway.
After around a decade of service, the excavator was becoming life-expired for railway use, and the hi-rail wheel setup without brakes was no longer complaint with modern regulations. The rail wheels were removed and the excavator sold on for private use in June 2026, as it was replaced by the newer Komatsu PW130ES.